There are many different types of surface cleaners that are configured for cleaning various surfaces such as, for example, streets, hard floors, and carpet. Examples of such cleaning machines are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,162,542, 6,585,827, 6,671,925, 6,705,332, and 6,735,812, which are assigned to Tennant Company of Minneapolis, Minn. and are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Such surface cleaners can be configured as riding or towed-behind units that are typically power driven. The surface cleaners machines includes a surface cleaning component that engages the surface over which the machine travels. The cleaning components can include rotatable scrubbers, which are typically found on carpet cleaners and extractors and hard floor surface cleaners, and rotatable sweepers, which are typically found on street or floor sweepers, for example.
Although such surface cleaners may provide excellent results, some environments (e.g., hospitals, food processing plants, etc.) require additional efforts to be made to ensure sanitization of the surface being cleaned. In those instances, the surface cleaners can apply a chemical disinfectant to the surface. Unfortunately, such chemicals can be hazardous requiring the user to take safety precautions before handling the chemicals, and special care in their disposal. As a result, the use of such chemicals can be dangerous, time consuming, and expensive.